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Letter from Henry S. Randall to James Parton (June 1, 1868)

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In this letter, dated June 1, 1868, the biographer Henry S. Randall
writes to James Parton about the longstanding rumors that Thomas Jefferson had fathered children by his enslaved house
servant Sally Hemings. Randall
argues that the rumors are false, citing his own interviews with Jefferson's grandson
Thomas Jefferson
Randolph.

Transcription from Original

Courtland Village, N.Y.

June 1, 1868

Dear Sir—

The "Dusky Sally Story"—the story that Mr. Jefferson kept one of his slaves, (Sally Hemings) as
his mistress and had children by her, was once extensively believed by respectable
men, and I believe both John Quincy Adams and our Bryant sounded poetical lyres on
this very poetical subject!

Walking about mouldering Monticello
one day with Col. T. J. Randolph (Mr. Jefferson's oldest grandson) he showed me a
smoke blackened and sooty room in one of the collonades, and informed me it was Sally
Henings' room. He asked me if I knew how the story of Mr. Jefferson's connexion with
her originated. I told him I did not. "There was a better excuse for it, said he,
than you might think: she had children which resembled Mr. Jefferson so closely that
it was plain that they had his blood in their veins." He said in one case that the
resemblance was so close, that at some distance or in the dusk the slave, dressed in
the same way, might be mistaken for Mr. Jefferson.—He said in one instance, a
gentleman dining with Mr. Jefferson, looked so startled as he raised his eyes from
the latter to the servant behind him, that his discovery of the resemblance was
perfectly obvious to all. Sally Henings was a house servant and her children were
brought up house servants—so that the likeness between master and slave was blazoned
to all the multitudes who visited this political Mecca.

Mr. Jefferson had two nephews, Peter
Carr and Samuel Carr whom he brought up in his house. There were the sons of
Mr. Jefferson's sister and her husband Dabney Carr that young and brilliant orator,
described by Wirt, who shone so conspicuously in the dawn of the Revolution, but died in 17—.
Peter was peculiarly gifted and amiable. Of Samuel I know less. But he became a man
of repute and sat in the State Senate of Virginia. Col. Randolph informed me that
Sally Henings was the mistress of Peter, and her sister Betsey the mistress of
Samuel—and from these connections sprang the progeny which resembled Mr. Jefferson.
Both the Henings girls were light colored and decidedly goodlooking. The Colonel said
their connexion with the Carrs was perfectly notorious at Monticello, and scarcely
disguised by the latter—never disavowed by them. Samuel's proceedings were
particularly open.

Col. Randolph informed me that there was not the shadow of suspicion that Mr.
Jefferson in this or any other instance ever had commerce with his female slaves. At
the periods when these Carr children were born, he, Col. Randolph, had charge of
Monticello. He gave all the general directions, gave out their clothes to the slaves,
etc., etc. He said Sally Henings was treated, dressed, etc., exactly like the rest.
He said Mr. Jefferson never locked the door of his room by day: and that he (Col. R.)
slept within sound of his breathing at night. He said he had never seen a motion, or
a look, or a circumstance which led him to suspect for an instant that there was a
particle more of familiarity between Mr. Jefferson and Sally Henings than between him
and the most repulsive servant in the establishment—and that no person ever living at
Monticello dreamed of such a thing. With Betsy Henings, whose children also resembled
him, his habitual meeting, was less frequent, and the chance for suspicion still
less, and his conexion with her was never indeed alleged by any of our northern
politicians, or poets.

Col. Randolph said that he had spent a good share of his life closely about Mr.
Jefferson—at home and on journeys—in all sorts of circumstances and he fully believed
him chaste and pure—as "immaculate a man as God ever created."

Mr. Jefferson's oldest daughter, Mrs. Gov. Randolph, took the Dusky Sally
stories much to heart. But she never spoke to her sons but once on the subject. Not
long before her death she called two of them—the Colonel and George Wythe Randolph—to her. She asked the
Colonel if he remembered when "— Henings (the slave who most resembled Mr. Jefferson)
was born." He said he could answer by referring to the book containing the list of
slaves. He turned to the book and found that the slave was born at the time supposed
by Mrs. Randolph. She then directed her sons attention to the fact that Mr. Jefferson
and Sally Henings could not have met—were far distance from each other—for fifteen
months prior to such birth. She bade her sons remember this fact, and always to
defend the character of their grandfather. It so happened when I was afterwards
examining an old account book of the Jeffersons I cam pop on
the original entry of this slaves birth: and I was then able from well known
circumstances to prove the fifteen months separation—but those circumstances have
faded from my memory. I have no doubt I could recover them however did Mr.
Jefferson's vindication in the least depend upon them.

Colonel Randolph said that a visitor at Monticello dropped a newspaper from his
pocket or accidentally left it. After he was gone, he (Colonel R.) opened the paper
and found some very insulting remarks about Mr. Jefferson's Mulatto Children. The
Col. said he felt provoked. Peter and Sam Carr were lying not far off under a shade
tree. He took the paper and put it in Peters hands, pointing out the article. Peter
read it, tears coursing down his cheeks, and then handed it to Sam. Sam also shed
tears. Peter exclaimed, "arnt you and I a couple of — pretty fellows to bring this
disgrace on poor old uncle who has always fed us! We ought to be — by —!"

I could give fifty more facts were there time, and were there any need of it, to show
Mr. Jefferson's innocence of this and all similar offenses against propriety.

I asked Col. R. why on earth Mr. Jefferson did not put these slaves who looked like
him out of the public sight by sending them to his Bedford estate or elsewhere—He said Mr. Jefferson
never betrayed the least consciousness of the resemblance—and although he (Col. R.)
had no doubt his mother, would have been very glad to have them removed, that both
and all venerated Mr. Jefferson too deeply to broach such a topic to him. What suited
him, satisfied them. Mr. Jefferson was deeply attached to the Carrs—especially to
Peter. He was extremely indulgent to them and the idea of watching them for faults or
vices probably never occurred to him.

Do you ask why I did not state, or at least hint the above facts in my Life of
Jefferson? I wanted to do so, but Colonel Randolph, in this solitary case alone,
prohibited me from using at my discretion the information he had furnished me with.
When I rather pressed him on the point he said, pointing to the family graveyard,
"You are not bound to prove a negation. If I should allow you to take Peter Carr's
corpse into Court and plead guilty over it to shelter Mr. Jefferson, I should not
dare again to walk by his grave; he would rise and spurn me." I am exceedingly glad
Col. Randolph did overrule me in this particular. I should
have made a shameful mistake. If I had unnecessarily defended him (and it was purely unnecessary to offer any
defense) at the expense of a dear nephew—and a noble man—hating a single folly.—

I write the currente calamo, and you will understand that in telling what Col. R. and
others said, I claim to give the precise language. I give it as I now recall it. I believe I hit at least the essential purport and spirit of
it in every case.

Do you wonder that the above explanations were not made by Mr. Jeffersons friends
when the old Federal Party were hurling their missiles at him for keeping a Congo
Harem! Nobody could have furnished a hint of explanation outside of the family. The
secrets of an old Virginia manor house were like the secrets of an Old Norman Castle.
Dr. Dungleson, and Professor
Tucker had lived years near Mr. Jefferson, in the University, and were often
at Monticello. They saw what others saw. But Dr. D told me that neither he nor
Professor T. ever heard the subject named in Virginia. An awe
and veneration was felt for Mr. Jefferson among his neighbors which in their view
rendered it shameful to even talk about his name in such a connexion. Dr. D. told me
that he never heard of Col. Randolph talking with anyone on the subject but me. But
he said in his own secret mind he had always believed the matter stood just as Col.
Randolph explained it to me.

You ask if I will not write a cheap Life of Jefferson of 600 pages, to go into
families who not purchase a larger work. I some years ago commenced such a condensed
biography. I suspended the work when the storm of Civil War burst over the land. I have not again resumed
it. I may yet do so hereafter—I have been strongly urged to the work by a prominent
publishing house, and if I find time I may again mount my old hobby.

I must again express my regret that I cannot send you a fine autograph letter of Mr.
Jefferson on some interesting topic—but I am stripped down to those his family
expected me to keep. But I send you some characteristic leaves—one from his draft of
his Parliamentary Law.